Wakefield

Wakefield's population grew in the 10 years leading up to 2011. At the same time there were changes in health, housing tenure and work life.

The population reached nearly 330,000

Between the last two censuses, the population of Wakefield increased by 3.4%, from just over 315,000 to 326,000.

The addition of almost 11,000 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Wakefield was home to, on average, 6.9 people per football pitch-sized piece of land (about 7,140 square metres).

Population density was higher than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber

Population density (usual residents per 7,140 square metres) across Yorkshire and The Humber, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

More single parents

This area saw Yorkshire and The Humber's third-largest rise in the proportion of single-parent households.

Across the region, only Calderdale (from 9.2% to 11%) and Craven (from 6.8% to 8.1%) saw a greater increase in the proportion of single-parent households.

Every local authority area across Yorkshire and The Humber saw a rise in the proportion of single-parent households, as the regional average grew from 9.5% to 10%.

In 2011, just under one in nine (11%) households in Wakefield had a single parent, compared with 9.7% in 2001. The percentage with a married couple decreased from 40% to 35%.

The percentage of households with a single-parent was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of households that that had a single parent across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Wakefield residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 12% to 7.7% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just under 8 in 10 (77%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 65% in 2001. The percentage of Wakefield residents that described their health as fair decreased from 23% to 16%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell here at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 10% in 2001 to 6.0% in 2011). Across England, the proportion fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Wakefield decreased by 4.6 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Wakefield, Yorkshire and The Humber and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Fall in social renting

The percentage of socially rented homes fell in Wakefield at a faster rate than across England.

In Wakefield, the proportion of social housing decreased from 28% in 2001 to 24% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion across England decreased from 19% to 18%.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the share of socially rented homes decreased from 21% to 18%.

Private renting in Wakefield increased from 5.7% to 11%, while the rate of home ownership decreased from 65% to 64%.

The rate of social housing was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of households that that rented socially across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Fewer people worked long hours

The percentage of employed people in Wakefield working more than 49 hours in the week before the census decreased from 12% to 8.7% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

In 2011, just under 1 in 40 (2.3%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked less than 16 hours the previous week, compared with 1.4% in 2001.

The proportion of people working long hours fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 13% in 2001 to 9.4% in 2011). Across England, the proportion fell from 13% to 10%.

Long hour working in Wakefield decreased by 3.5 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Wakefield, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in Wakefield

The number of people in Wakefield from the White ethnic groups remained close to 310,000 between the last two seasons. However, as a percentage of the total population, this represented a decrease from 98% to 95%.

The percentage decreased by less than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber (from 93% to 89%) and the average across England (from 91% to 85%).

The number of people in Wakefield from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from just over 4,900 in 2001 to just under 8,500 in 2011 (from 1.6% to 2.6%). The number of residents from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed) increased from just over 1,400 to just over 2,900 (from 0.5% to 0.9%).

Just over 2,500 people (0.1%) said they were from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups, up from about 440 in 2001 (0.8%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the ethnic profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between ethnic groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population from the White ethnic groups in Wakefield decreased by 2.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Wakefield by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

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